Lawrence Singerman, M.D. '69

Dr. Lawrence J. Singerman (pictured with his family) of Retina Associates of Cleveland, was honored with an award bearing his name at the 40th anniversary meeting of the Macula Society in June. He is the first recipient of The Macula Society's Lawrence J Singerman Medal. The medal will be awarded each year by the society's Awards Committee to an outstanding individual chosen for exceptional contributions to retinal clinical trials, which have been Dr. Singerman's passion for 40 years. He founded the Macula Society in 1977 and has continued to serve as executive secretary since its inception.

Dr. Singerman developed his interest in clinical trials in the early 1970s when laser treatment of certain conditions was a controversial topic in the ophthalmological community. He received a retinal fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins where he conducted a study that helped prove that the laser treatment reduced the risk of blindness by 50 percent. The study also helped set standards and provided a springboard for many National Institutes of Health-sponsored clinical trials that followed. After finishing his fellowship, Dr. Singerman began his own private practice, Retina Associates of Cleveland, but maintained his commitment to clinical trials by founding The Macula Society to provide an opportunity for the best minds in the field to discuss new ideas and research studies in a collaborative environment. The society has grown from an exclusive group of 63 charter members from the United States to 450 members from 25 nations.

Dr. Singerman is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami School of Medicine. He has received several awards over the years and has been named to the "Best Doctors in America" list every year since 1998.